Portado Story by Sudha Murthy 💯
Summary
TLDRThe speaker recounts a story about a college classmate, nicknamed 'Potato,' who prioritized connections over education. Despite his intelligence, Potato habitually skipped classes and crammed for exams, securing good grades but lacking deep knowledge. Years later, he regrets his choices after struggling in his career due to a lack of discipline and knowledge. The speaker emphasizes the importance of hard work, discipline, and respect, noting that success in life has no shortcuts. The story serves as a lesson on the long-term consequences of neglecting education and discipline.
Takeaways
- 🎓 The importance of attending classes and being disciplined in education was emphasized, as it lays a strong foundation for future success.
- 🏆 Despite getting good grades through strategic study methods, true knowledge and understanding are essential for long-term professional success.
- 🕒 The speaker's classmate 'Potato' initially prioritized social connections over education, which later led to difficulties in his career.
- 🚫 The consequences of lacking discipline and proper time management were highlighted, as it can lead to job loss and a struggle to find employment.
- 👨👩👧👦 The classmate's regret for not valuing education more and the impact it had on his family, particularly his daughters, was expressed.
- 🌟 The speaker's success was attributed to hard work, discipline, and a focus on knowledge rather than just grades.
- 💼 The reality of the professional world was underscored, where knowledge and competence are more valued than mere academic marks.
- 🏫 The script conveys a deep respect for the educational system and the role of schools in shaping individuals' lives.
- 💰 The classmate's advice to contribute back to one's alma mater once successful, recognizing the value of the education received there.
- 🌱 The transformative power of education from raw potential to a refined, knowledgeable individual was discussed, highlighting the school's role in this process.
Q & A
Who is the main character referred to as 'Potato' in the script?
-Potato is the nickname for the narrator's classmate who was from Goa and attended the same engineering college.
What was Potato's daily routine in college?
-Potato would come to college late, around 9 or 10 o'clock, attend a few classes, and then leave. He would also come for the lab in the afternoon.
Why did Potato believe in the importance of building connections rather than focusing on education?
-Potato thought that connections were more important in life than education, as they could help in various ways when one is young.
What was the narrator's background and how did it influence their perspective on Potato's approach to education?
-The narrator came from a middle-class family with a father who was a doctor. They did not understand the concept of building connections as emphasized by Potato.
How did Potato prepare for his exams?
-Potato would study intensely for a month before the exams, eliminate question papers from certain months, and create an approximate question paper to focus his study.
What was the outcome of Potato's approach to education during his college years?
-Potato managed to get first-class marks in all four years of college, despite his unconventional study habits.
When and where did the narrator meet Potato again after many years?
-The narrator met Potato again in Dubai in 2008 or 2009 after a long gap of 30 to 35 years.
What was Potato's career situation when he met the narrator in Dubai?
-Potato was working in a managerial position in Dubai, but he had faced difficulties in his career due to a lack of knowledge despite having good marks.
What lesson did Potato want to convey to the narrator about the importance of discipline and hard work?
-Potato wanted to emphasize that discipline and hard work are crucial for long-term success in life, and one should not rely solely on connections or shortcuts.
What advice did Potato give regarding the importance of education for his daughters?
-Potato advised that his daughters should study well and not follow his path, understanding the value of knowledge over just getting good marks.
What did Potato mean when he said the school is an 'Alma mater' and why should one help it?
-By referring to the school as an 'Alma mater,' Potato meant it is a formative place that shapes one's life. He suggested helping the school as a way of giving back for the lifelong benefits it provides.
Outlines
🎓 The Importance of Discipline and Knowledge
The first paragraph narrates the story of 'Potato,' a classmate who was intelligent but prioritized social connections over education. Despite attending classes irregularly, he managed to secure first-class marks by focusing on the end-of-year exams. However, he later realized the importance of genuine knowledge and discipline when he faced professional setbacks due to lack of real understanding. His encounter with the narrator after many years in Dubai served as a turning point, where he confessed his regrets and emphasized the value of hard work and discipline in education, rather than just pursuing marks.
🏫 The Role of School in Shaping Life
The second paragraph discusses the transformative role of school in an individual's life. It likens a student to raw material that is shaped and refined by the educational process into a finished product. The narrator stresses the significance of the school environment and the efforts of teachers and parents in nurturing a student's growth. The paragraph concludes with an appeal to give back to one's alma mater, acknowledging the profound impact it has on shaping one's future and the importance of supporting it in return.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Discipline
💡Knowledge
💡Connection
💡Education
💡Marks
💡Respect
💡Shortcut
💡Hard Work
💡Alma Mater
💡Raw Material
💡Competition
Highlights
The speaker's classmate, referred to as 'Potato', was a bright student who rarely attended classes or college.
Potato would come to college late and only attend a few classes, but still managed to get good grades by studying question papers intensively before exams.
Despite being intelligent, Potato believed that building connections was more important than education itself.
The speaker, coming from a middle-class family, did not initially understand the importance of connections that Potato emphasized.
Years later, the speaker unexpectedly met Potato in Dubai, where he shared his life experiences and regrets.
Potato admitted that skipping classes and not gaining deep knowledge led to difficulties in his professional life.
He faced challenges in his job due to lack of knowledge, which his good exam grades did not reflect.
Potato was eventually fired from his jobs due to his lack of knowledge and discipline.
He now works in a smaller job in Dubai, far from the success he could have achieved with proper education and discipline.
Potato emphasized the importance of pursuing knowledge over just getting good grades.
He shared his regret of not valuing discipline and hard work during his school and college years.
Potato advised the speaker's daughters to study well and not to follow his path of neglecting education.
He realized that shortcuts in life, like skipping classes, can lead to long-term consequences.
Potato urged the importance of discipline, proper communication, and respect in achieving success.
He acknowledged that schools play a crucial role in shaping individuals and should be valued and supported.
The speaker concluded by emphasizing the message that hard work, discipline, and the pursuit of knowledge are the keys to a successful life.
Transcripts
foreign
was my classmate he was reasonably
bright maybe very bright I suppose never
he came to school never came to college
I was in engineering College
he used to stay he was from Goa he used
to come he was in the hostel and he
never to come to college our College was
seven to eleven he will come around 10
o'clock or nine o'clock earliest nine
o'clock
and he will sit here sit there attend
two classes after that afternoon he will
come for the lab Etc end of the year he
will one month he will get up early and
he will study and you know there is a
method in college you take question
papers April and October whatever comes
in October will never come in April
okay I'm sure the school also you have
midterm will never come to final okay so
eliminate these question answers and
then make a approximate question paper
and study that and he used to get a
first class he did all four years like
this once I asked potato potato why you
you are such a bright person you don't
come to class if you come regularly he
can get distinction you can get a rank
he said sudha you do not know in life it
is not the education it is the
connection it really works and we have
to build lot of connections you know in
when you are young it helps you
I came from a middle class family my
father was a doctor a gynecologist
I never understood this connection all
those things because then he said my
father was in military we were in
Kolkata there was a club which we have
never seen in our real life so we
thought maybe the big man and it's not
beyond our hamara basket I felt it so
it's something new years passed in 1972
I finished my engineering so it was
potato and I didn't meet him for a long
time after 30 35 years I think 2008 or
nine I had been to Dubai to deliver a
lecture
and when the lecture was over I saw
somebody waiting for and then he said
ma'am I was waiting for you I was
surprised at a place like Dubai who will
wait for me
then he said I am potato I could not
recognize because in 30 40 years people
put on weight your hair will be gray you
know all those physical changes will
happen so they reported I would not have
recognized that I was very happy I told
him well let's have a let us sit down
and talk he said no I just wanted to
tell you one words
what happened he said
you know do you remember in college I
used to bank class I said of course I
remember you potato means banking class
he said I used to Bunk class and I
joined a job and because in those days
the moment your B is to get a job in my
time and my bosses came to know that my
subordinates came to know that I don't
have knowledge getting a first class
marks are different than knowledge
please remember parents your children
should be in the pursuit of knowledge
than the marks though it's a competitive
examination
I agree it is a competitive world it is
a competitive World competition is
thousand times so ten thousand time more
than what time I had but with all those
things the knowledge which always helps
you then your marks in real life so he
said I got marks but I did not have
knowledge once the subordinates know
that you don't have knowledge they don't
respect you once the boss knows you
don't have knowledge then he wants and
he wants a reason to kick you out I was
kicked out from one job then I took a
second job and I was so much used to
getting up nine in the morning I'll go
late to your office I was kicked out
there also over a period of time I
couldn't get job anywhere and now I have
a job as a manager job or a smaller job
in Dubai and my I have to I said what
about your family since I have two
daughters I left them in Chennai to
study I said what he said yes I want
they should study well they should not
become like me
I just waited for you to tell sudha one
thing
when you we were young I used to make
fun of you he used to tell me you are
like a you are like a running race horse
because the horse will see neither left
nor right it runs so anyway you always
wear academic and we used to make fun of
you today when we call you nerd and I
thought I was very smart you know today
I feel you are successful and I wasted
my life I just wanted to tell you if you
don't if you don't discipline
if you don't discipline when you are
school or in college you pay a heavy
price in later part of your life
discipline like coming up in a proper
way writing properly okay talking
properly communicating properly
respecting people properly this really
helps a long way in your life so I don't
want you should be like potato
regretting in your old age you should
remember that to be successful in life
there is no shortcut the only method is
hard work and straight away and that you
have to do and remember one more part
that your school you come as a raw
product to school like a raw material to
school school churns you out 14 years
and takes you out of the finished good
you come out as a young toddler here you
and you go out of the fine teenager the
school has done so much not for the fees
what you give your fees are minimal when
you compare to the kind of Advantage you
get in real life your teachers your
parents everyone put so much
hard work to make you a young teenager
please remember the school is your Alma
meter and when you grow big
when you make money more than what you
need you should always help your Alma
meter because that is the place which
has given you a life in real life
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